The Top 26 Sounds (July 2011-July 2012)

Manila, Philippines -  By which songs will you remember moments from the past 26 years? The grunge metal of Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana or the sweet vo- cal calisthenics of Mariah Carey’s One Sweet Day? How about the innocent charm of Taylor Swift’s Love Story or the anguished ado- lescence of Justin Bieber’s Baby Baby musings? What about K-Pop or those guys from Taiwan, the F-4?

There are so many to choose from. But since this is The Philippine STAR’s 26th year of dishing out the news and that banner says “Philippine Star,” I would much rather go Filipino and list down the sounds created by Filipino artists that will forever be reminders of 1986 up to the present.

1.The one which defined the young sounds of the next 10 years or so was the album Ultraelectromagneticpop by the Eraserheads in 1992. I can still feel the kick I got, as the cassette tape played Ligaya, Toyang and other fun, irreverent songs by Ely Buendia, Marcus Adoro, Raymond Marasigan and Buddy Mara- sigan.

2. On the other extreme was the easy listening music of Jose Mari Chan. There were objections to E-heads language but everybody liked Jose Mari’s. He made multi-million sellers out of Constant Change with the phenomenal Beautiful Girl and also produced one of the most enduring Christmas albums ever, Christ- mas In Our Hearts, in 1990.

3. Also in 1990, Megastar Sharon Cuneta, fresh from one hit melodrama after another, ignited the covers trend by singing Manila Sound classics and turning them into themes for block- buster action romances — Kahit Konting Pagtingin, Maging Sino Ka Man, etc.

4. Gary Valenciano was that rare breed in 1986, a soulful balladeer who also has the right moves. He went on to strut stuff in Shout For Joy and move hearts with Out Of The Dark.

5. The little brothers. Ogie Alcasid, Janno Gibbs, Keempee de Leon and Dingdong Avanzado: They were attractive, young and talented actors, singers and songwriters who rose to the top in the late ’80s.

6. 1987 saw the birth of the mellow-blend- ed The CompanY with Everlasting Love. The group went on to release other hits like Now That I Have You and Muntik Na Kitang Minahal and remains successful with sold-out shows and big-selling albums.

7. Side A came next in 1988. The antithesis of the rock band, the group made balladeer pop with songs like Forevermore, Hold On and So Many Questions.

8. Yo! Whoever said that Filipinos cannot do hip-hop ate up his words when this album by Francis M came out with the ear-popping single Mga Kababayan Ko in 1990.

9. Of course, Pinoy rap was also funny as exemplified by the rich playboy fantasies of Andrew E. with Alabang Girls and his self- effacing put-down, Humanap Ka Ng Panget, a year later.

10. Dream Girl Joey Albert came in 1991 and sang to our hearts with Tell Me, Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin and Iisa Pa Lamang.

11. Martin Nievera parted ways with wife Pops Fernandez. He turned to poetry and music to win her back. He wrote Forever and hit a gold mine. It was the beginning of a suc- cessful series of albums of heartbreak songs.

12. Jaya, Elizabeth Ramsey’s daughter, gave Pinoy soul a sound when she lent her voice to the ballads of Vehnee Saturno via Dahil Tanging Ikaw and Wala Na Bang Pag-ibig.

13. Songbird Regine Velasquez turned movie star and set a new standard for Pinoy romantic comedies that also included hit theme songs like You Are My Song, Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw and others.

14. Ariel Rivera, the pop balladeer of the ’90s era, was an architect from Toronto who became a big-selling singer and award-win- ning actor.

15. From out of Davao came the sensational Freestyle with the songs Before I Let You Go and So Slow. The band later paved the way for the success of other talents from Mind- anao like M.Y.M.P. and South Border.

16. Everybody sang and danced to the Spaghetti Song by the Sexbomb Girls in 2002. They also grooved to other novelty tunes like Boom Tarat Tarat by Willie Revillame.

17. 2003 marked the year of the singing champion. Sarah Geronimo, the winner of Viva TV’s Star For a Night, the first reality singing tilt in the Philippines, is now a star of movies, recording, television and con- certs.

18. The hits happened 30 years ago but enjoyed a resurgence when new bands re- corded the music of the APO Hiking Society in 2006. And so with Spongecola’s Panalangin, Batang-bata Ka Pa by Moonstar88 and others, the APO tunes returned to the charts.

19. The acoustic craze of the 2000s. This was really pop, folk, bossa nova and jazz tunes sung with laidback arrangements fo- cused on guitars. It proved to be a big money- maker as albums sold and acoustic cafés filled up. Aiza Seguerra, Nina and Sitti led the pack that also included Nyoy Volante, Paolo San- tos and later Sabrina, Princess Velasco and others.

20. Rivermaya with Rico Blanco, Bam- boo Mañalac, Nathan Azarcon, Mark Escueta and Perf de Castro was the most successful of the bands that came in the wake of the Eraserheads. They hit big with Ulan, Hinahanaphanap Kita, Kisapma- ta, among others.

21. Mañalac became the image of the new Pinoy rocker when he returned from self-im- posed US exile in 2004 and formed the band Bamboo. He sang Hallelujah and proclaimed himself a true Noy-P.

22. Rico has also turned solo, writing hits like You’ll Be Safe Here and Balisong, and is the rock heartthrob of the moment.

23. Pogi rock acquired a face with Hale in 2005 with The Day You Said Goodnight. Led by Champ Lui-Pio, the band mused romantic for three albums and then disbanded.

24. Champ is now the manager and pro- ducer of Someday Dream. The singer/composer’s Hey Daydreamer from 2011 was the first Filipino song that became a hit on digital release. 25. Singers-turned-stage actors. Theater

has discovered the box-office value of pop stars and these singers have in turn found joy on the musical stage. Among them are Jett Pangan of The Dawn, Rachelle Ann Go, Vina Morales, Ariel Rivera, Nyoy Volante and Mark Bautista.

26. The exports. These are most notably Arnel Pineda who became the lead vocalist of the iconic American band Journey; and Charice, reality show discovery-turned-big- time singer and actress in Hollywood.